Collection: Our Story - Why the Outer Banks?
Sometimes you hear people say "the smallest simple gesture changed their life." I'm one of those persons. Grateful. Thirty years is a long time to wait to say "Thank you." Well, today—Wednesday, June 18, 2025—I finally got the chance to say "Thank You" in person to Bob, the owner of Tortuga's Lie.
My life changed in the summer of 1994.
On May 20, 1994, I met Bob Sanders from Tortuga's Lie. A buddy of mine (Smoke) was returning to work for him that summer. While my buddy was settling in, a chance encounter with his ‘boss’—a handshake and a brief conversation—changed my life. Permission to park and stay in his restaurant's lot. A simple parking spot at a busy restaurant. Something I never could have imagined the value of (monetary) back then. A Simple Parking Spot changed my life.
Memorial Day Weekend in the summer of 1994, I was invited to live in The Pit Surf Shop—right next door to Tortuga’s Lie—thanks to pure dumb luck after Bob was rad enough to let a stranger and non-employee (me) crash in the back of a Ford pickup truck in his busy parking lot for two weeks while I searched for a room to rent.
As luck would have it, I saw two guys painting a house across the sand lot next door on my second day there. It was an hour or so before dark. I had just come back from a surf session and was sitting in my truck. I asked, “What are you guys doing?” They replied, “Painting.” And before they could follow that up with “We’re opening a surf shop,” I had already hopped off my tailgate and blurted out something smart-ass like, “No fucking shit.” Out of boredom, ADD, ADHD—whatever you want to call it—I introduced myself and offered to help. For free.
Just under two weeks after meeting them I had created an opportunity for myself that changed my entire path in life. My hard work coupled with me surprising them with a nice chunk of cash from t-shirt sales upon their return from the out of town wedding in Pennsylvania had earned their trust and earned me an invite days later to live in their surf shop. A dream life at 22 years old. While they were gone to the wedding the weekend before the holiday, I asked Bob for permission to "sell" their t-shirts that weekend to his customers. He obliged and well, the rest is history. Bob and I laughed about that weekend when we caught up. We may be distant friends but I'm forever thank full.
Without Bob, there wouldn’t have been Ben and Steve. Without Ben and Steve, I wouldn’t have ended up living in a surf shop at 22 years old. That means no rad career in the action sports industry. No rep gigs for major brands. No rep gigs for start up brands like Bombshell Women's Technical Wear. No winters with sales meetings snowboarding and surfing. No couch surfing for weeks on end chasing surf and snow storms out west. No 27 years living the dream based in San Diego—surfing, riding dirt bikes, camping, and being self-employed. Chasing happiness.
After the recent passing of my father (four months ago today—2/19/25), I moved back home to the East Coast to be closer to my mom in Northern Virginia. I’ve relocated my personal businesses and brands under the Red Lablel Brand Umbrella to Kill Devil Hills and started a collection that celebrates the Outer Banks.
Outer Banks Hoodies—aka: OBX Hoodies. Premium Hoodies & Lanyards
I'm back where it all started for me in the Outer Banks. Back to my first exposure to the surf industry. Feels surreal—almost like fate. This is where I learned to surf. Where I got into the industry. Where I became a rep for some of the biggest names in the water, like O’Neill wet-suits, Lost Clothing, and Mayhem Surfboards. Based in Kill Devil Hills, it feels like a home away from home.
Today, I finally ran into Bob again. Saying “Thank you” in person after all these years was rad. Tortuga’s Lie will forever be the beacon—my lighthouse—in the Outer Banks. This place changed my life. Three guys in this small corner of the world set me on my path.
This brand—OBX Hoodies—is about Southern hospitality. It’s a tribute to my pops, his southern upbringing and his love for the outdoors and the water. A passion shared by my brother and I as well as our cousins. The brand a celebration of the shared passion and the beach life I love and covet. It’s about respecting this amazing Southern coastal community and honoring those who’ve been here for generations. Our brand about a mix of the Southern California Surf Culture and Southern Carolina Outdoor Pride. A pride born out of loving and enjoying the land and visiting our relatives as kids in Louisiana and Alabama. Surfing changed my life and the Outer Banks was the catalyst for it to happen. Our Outer Banks (OBX) Collection celebrates Dare County and the carolina surf culture, the commercial fishing industry, the hard working service industry and the gem of a waterfowl industry. A tribute to southern surf culture at it's finest. The Outer Banks, a place that will always be special to us, respected by us and our brand.
Today, I hugged a man and said thanks —to Bob Sanders— a man who made a simple gesture 30 years ago that changed everything for me. A parking spot under a basketball hoop, at a slammed restaurant with not enough spots for all the eager customers. Thanks, Bob. I’m grateful. People always say, “One simple gesture can change someone’s life.” I’m living proof that it can. I’ll never be able to thank Ben and Steve enough. I know they know I'm thankful.
Our hoodies are simple. High-quality. Tough. Like the people who make this place what it is. Our brand is a celebration of the Outer Banks. A culture of hardworking, good people. We’re not reinventing the wheel—just putting our own simple twist on a piece of beach fashion while promoting a place that holds a huge spot in my heart. A place where my life changed. Where I first witnessed workers in a kitchen busting their asses. (Tortuga's Lie) Where I learned (watched) the meaning of hard, hot-ass summer work (all the while relaxing and while eating grilled cheese sandwiches, sipping lemonade and watching, not actually working there) of course.
OBX Hoodies is about Quality hoodies & Quality Simple art. Yes, our hoodies are on the higher end—but higher price means higher quality. We prefer to offer only Independent Trading Co hoodies when we can. They are Quality. We’ll be running some specials soon, starting with back-to-school. Our lanyards are top-notch too.
And if we do good, we give back—starting with youth programs and groups promoting youth engagement right here in Dare County.
Thanks for your support.
Under the Kranik Brand Umbrella.
#obxhoodies #obxlanyards #kranikbrand #skwokbrand
